


Firsts, or, A Xiaolin Christmas

by Fletch98



Category: Xiaolin Showdown (Cartoon)
Genre: Bi Clay, Bisexual Male Character, Budding Love, Christmas Fluff, Clay is 19, FTM, First Christmas, First Kiss, Fluff, Gay, M/M, Mistletoe, Multi, Omi is 18, Pansexual Character, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, also also under 5 ft trans guys rep BABY, also i gave one of the other older monks a name because we never hear from any one them, ftm mlm, gay relationship, mlm, some side Rai/Kim, trans omi, transguy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:07:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28451367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fletch98/pseuds/Fletch98
Summary: It's late in the evening on Christmas Day that Clay Bailey starts to feel things he hadn't expected to for a certain monk. The atmosphere's just right for a Christmas romance, but do the two fit into this kind of story?
Relationships: Omi/Clay Bailey, Raimundo Pedrosa/Kimiko Tohomiko
Kudos: 2





	Firsts, or, A Xiaolin Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> In this piece of fiction, Omi is a transguy, pansexual, and 18, while Clay Bailey is bisexual, cis, and 19.
> 
> Also I can't decide if their ship name is Clomi, or Olay, so let me know what you prefer.
> 
> Art I did for the end scene - https://www.instagram.com/p/CJmLFyWFnK8/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Clay was warming his numb hands on a freshly brewed mug of cocoa. He had just come in from chopping up some firewood, a responsibility which had appeared to fall to him every time they needed more, but he didn't mind. At this precise moment he was thinking he could have kissed the monk who had a secret sweet tooth in the temple (Old Monk Chen was the most likely culprit, half his teeth missing), because he hadn't seen a lick of it since his last winter in Texas. Sipping the beverage and trying not to burn his tongue, the sweet aroma began flooding his senses as he felt the frostbite flee from his fingers. His only complaint was that he wished he was sitting at home on the ranch, Ma sitting on Pa's lap while he and his siblings fought over who got the comfiest armchair and who would be left on the rug. They might not have gotten on particularly well, but Jessie and Patrick were still family, and he was somewhat surprised to find himself missing them most of all this Christmas. Well, he admitted he missed them anyway.

It was their first Christmas at the temple since they had started their training as Xiaolin monks. He hadn't thought about it much, since they had been so busy training and searching for Wu, and it looked like it had crept up on all of them. He, Rai, and Kim all celebrated it, but it was he alone who had been brought up celebrating it with any religious connotations. He had been a shepherd in his church's nativity play, 4 years running, and following that he had been upgraded to Joseph, and then Gabriel (being the oldest of his Sunday School troupe had its benefits). His parents had always been very adamant about saying grace, going to Church on Christmas morning, and all that kind of stuff, but just spending time with family throughout the day had been the primary focus.

Rai and Kim, it would appear, and their families were largely interested in the aesthetic properties of Christmas, as well as the focus on time spent with friends and family. Both had recounted round the fireplace the endless array of gifts they would usually receive; the majority from Kim were from her father, who probably could have had 10 more children and still bought them as much as he did Kim. Rai had so many relatives, that if a couple had forgotten to send any, he still would have gotten a sizable portion (although certainly not of the quality or price range of Kimiko’s). Overall, they both did fairly well for themselves. Clay's gifts were in the lesser numbers, however, they were always either; what he had asked for, extremely thoughtful, or practical.

He walked through from the kitchen to the room of the temple they had set up as a sort of present-opening/celebration area, expecting to see Rai and Kim, but finding that they had disappeared. Their own mugs of cocoa had gone with them, so at least they weren’t going to go cold and the precious beverage go to waste. His eyes then fell on the paper sprawled all over the floor, and then to the presents around the tree. Their ‘Christmas Tree’ could hardly be labelled as such; a couple of days ago after training he and Raimundo had gone out on a walk in the mountainous area surrounding the temple, attempting to find one suitable enough for the occasion. Having failed to find one of a reasonable size or shape, Rai had found a somewhat festive looking bush, and using the sword of the storm, had fashioned it into what resembled a small Christmas tree with a back problem. They brought it back to the temple, Kimiko positively distraught at the sight of their creation, Omi, on the other hand, having never seen a Christmas tree before, was charmed by the malformed shrubbery. Clay chuckled to himself, remembering Omi's expression and his subsequent race for the decorations.

It was moments like decorating the tree, or buying presents for loved ones, or just drinking hot cocoa together. Nothing could beat just sharing the holiday with loved ones, Clay believed, as much as Rai teased him for being so cheesy. Taking another sip of cocoa and staring at the oddly decorated bush, he realised that this time around, one of the best things had been introducing Omi to all their different traditions. The monk hadn't been completely oblivious to the holiday, but he hadn't been familiar with many aspects of it either, so there was plenty to get him acquainted with. His only gripe was with Rai, Kim and Clays’ insistence that he do no training of any kind and simply use the day to relax and hang out. Thus far they had caught him practicing his Tai Chi or Kung Fu in the corridor at least thrice, unaware they could hear his breathing and grunting, and he had been dragged back through to consume hot cocoa and take part in the festivities.

Pausing in between his fervent sips, he became aware of the fact that he had last seen Omi just before he had gone out to chop more firewood. His gaze shifted around the room just in case he missed the miniscule monk napping in between the mess on the floor, but he was nowhere to be found. His neck then craned around the eastern wall, and looking down the hallway he found nothing except a fading trail of hot cocoa stains, indicating the direction that Kim and Rai had taken earlier. He'd have to get them to clean that up before the night was through, and likewise before Dojo or Feng noticed.

He knew Master Feng and the other monks were meditating elsewhere in the monastery, Feng having left the dragons to their own devices for one day, only asking that they tidy up after themselves. Wherever Rai and Kim had gone off to, he wasn't sure. He suspected Rai had planted a mistletoe somewhere to lure poor Kim under, but he also reckoned Kimiko had already figured that out. After a quick snoop round the corridors and nearby rooms he returned to the sitting room. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, and then looked out the circular window to his left, wiping away the condensation. A blotch in the glass turned into a small, seemingly crouched figure in the distance, surrounded by the snow-covered garden. The roundness of the figures head grew clearer as did the bright red monk robes, confirming it was Omi. Clay made a face of approval at finding his fellow monk, and sighed before lifting the mug of cocoa back to his lips. It took him a minute to realise Omi was sitting, meditating in the middle of a flurry of snow, with now jacket, hat, scarf, or gloves. Removing the mug away just in time to avoid burning his lips, he placed it down haphazardly, a slosh of brown liquid flying over the side and onto the wooden table, and skidded on the doormat just as he rushed outside.

"Omi! What in the blazes are ya’ doin’?!" He shouted, his voiced pained as he shot down the steps.

Omi declined to turn around but replied with his usual vigour.

"I thought I would have a quick meditation while you chopped more firewood Clay! It is only right that I do at least some of my daily training! I will however return soon for more delicious hot cocoa my friend," he said, finishing with a flitting gesture of his hand, which shook slightly from the cold.

Clay hadn't realised how deep the snow was, abruptly noticing in further panic that his feet were disappearing beneath the white blanket by a good 5 inches. "No way partner, you're comin' in right now before you catch a heapin' cold."

Clay grabbed Omi from underneath the shoulders and hoisted him over his own, but not before giving him a good comic shake to rid him of the snow that had collected on his person. He struggled to wipe the snow off Omi's backside as he shifted around, legs kicking and arms pushing against his back in an attempt to squirm out of Clays’ grip.

"Clay! Put me down! Don't you know these are perfect conditions for meditation!"

He ignored Omi’s complaints and pressed on, his shoulders reeling slightly as he felt snow creeping down his socks.

"Yeah well you can reach enlightenment tomorrow Omi. You ain't getting sick on my watch."

___

The freezing temperatures outside hadn't seemed to phase Omi too severely, perhaps as Clay had guessed because it was in some way connected to his water and ice abilities. Despite his objections and his assertions that he was perfectly fine, Clay insisted on throwing his good winter jacket that was comically four times too large for Omi over his shoulders. Following that, he grabbed him a beanie hat and gloves, as well as a blanket and fetched him a new mug of cocoa. Omi shivered slightly, his nose, ears and cheeks developing a pinkish glow. He was also wearing a jumper Clay had grabbed for him, except it was Raimundo's, and was a slightly better fit than one of Clays’ own would have been. While Omi certainly had winter clothes, he still had hardly any other things to wear besides his monk robes, and it was moments like this that made it apparent that he would be much better off getting some. Keeping up aesthetics was clearly very important to the monk.

Clay decided to tidy up the wrapping paper while Omi warmed up a bit, and thought to himself as he often did when doing menial manual work, grabbing handfuls of the shiny patterned tears of wrapping paper. It occurred to him how unusual it was seeing Omi in such a relaxed state other than when he was meditating. Usually, he was bouncing around the training grounds, or racing to finish his chores faster than the rest of them, always with a sense of purpose, like today when he still insisted on training. It was a pleasant change to see him sufficiently more relaxed than usual, simply enjoying the moment.

He had finished stuffing all the wrapping paper into a wicker basket, and stood for a moment, just taking in the atmosphere of the whole scene. The snow continued to pelt the windows, harder than before, and the fire was still lively thanks to the additional wood he had chopped. Additionally, the beauty of the temple architecture was only emphasized by the whole scene both inside and outside the temple, with every corner and carving painted by the fire’s glow, or the gorgeous white blanket of snow covering the grounds, buildings and all. His gaze kept returning to Omi, his content expression likewise lit up by the orange hue consuming his corner of the room. Clay was struck for a moment with the sudden realisation of how mature Omi looked. He still sat in a similar position to the one he had sat in outside, his back straight as he held the mug in front of him with both hands. He looked almost distinguished, like one of the older monks while they were meditating. Maybe it was really coca and a warm fire that brought enlightenment? Granted, the size of the jacket over his shoulders made him look slightly ridiculous, but this only seemed to add a growing warmth in Clay's chest. A warmth that, he was slowly realising, certainly had nothing to do with the roaring fire.

He was caught off guard by Omi turning round and smiling at him, and he almost dropped the basket full of ripped paper. He caught it in time before Omi could notice, placed it down and walked over just as he sneezed, which, to Clays’ amusement, suddenly reminded him of one his dogs’ squeaky toys from back home.

"You warm yet buddy?"

Omi wiped his nose and sniffed. "I am much warmer now. Thank you for the cocoa."

Clay smiled, and deciding to be brave, replied, "沒問題 (méi wèn tí)," before kneeling down and grabbing another log to chuck on the fire.

As he had secretly hoped, Omi's expression lit up. "You have been practicing! I must say your pronunciation has vastly improved Clay!"

Clay felt a blush creep onto his cheeks. His fringe might have been long, but it unfortunately did nothing to hide his reddening cheeks. He had been practicing, despite how stupid he felt trying to learn Chinese. He had never been good academically, and it felt rather unnatural to hear words of praise instead of ridicule for his efforts. Nonetheless, accompanied by Omi's smile, it felt like Ol’ Bessy had just won first prize at the county fair.

"Shucks Omi, you're makin' me blush…"

Omi continued. "But it's true, isn't it! This means one day we could have whole conversations in my native language!"

Clay warmed his hands in front of the fire as he sat down on the floor, a foot apart from Omi, suddenly far too aware of the space between them, or lack thereof.

"Maybe one day… Think I've got some ways to go yet before I'm half as good as you are at English."

Omi waved away the compliment, “哪裡,哪裡…” and then let out a much louder sneeze before shivering slightly.

Maybe it was the heat going to his head, or a sugar high from the amount of cocoa he'd drank, but Clay was all of a sudden feeling quite confident. He wasn't sure what he was doing, only that he was moving closer to Omi, and the intent had something to do with _wanting_ to be closer to Omi.

"You're still freezin', ain't ya… Let me help warm ya' up a little."

He leaned down and manoeuvred himself behind Omi, wrapping his arms around his waist so he still had hands free for his mug. Omi remained quiet, which Clay hoped meant there was no objection to their sudden closeness. He waited for a sign of disapproval, but all that came was the smaller of the two shifting more comfortably into his hold, followed by another content sip of cocoa.

Clay was all of a sudden very conscious of every little movement Omi made, from sipping his cocoa. to his breathing, to shifting his blanket around his shoulders. He was also alarmed at how easily he was getting himself worked up. I mean, what was all this he had started feeling? This was Omi, Omi was… so serious yet so easily immature when he wanted to be. He was hardly 5ft yet acted like he was the tallest and biggest of them all when in a fight. He was oblivious and so many things yet more knowledgeable about topics that Clay could hardly wrap his head round. ‘He was a monk of multitudes,’ he had once heard Master Feng say, probably out of frustration at the time. He had no idea what the word actually meant, but he had a feeling it applied here. They sat for what, to Clay, felt like a good few hours, when in actuality only 10 minutes had passed before Omi piped up again, almost startling him.

"Raimundo and Kimiko have been away for a rather long time. What do you think they're doing?" Omi asked turning his head round and up, craning his neck to look at Clay. The light of the fire creeped into the large grey iris’s that peered up at him, like fireworks show on a gloomy day.

_Omi's got real nice eyes…_

"Clay?"

Did… did he say that or think that? _Oh Lord please tell me I thought that._

"Hm?"

"I asked what Raimundo and Kim are doing!"

"Oh, sorry little buddy, uh… I reckon they're just talkin’." _(They might be done with that by now though…)_

Omi made a disgruntled expression and returned to his cocoa while Clay controlled his breathing. Rai and Kim _had_ been gone a while. If something bad had happened they would probably have heard a commotion, but he doubted Spicer would attack the temple on Christmas. Or at least, he probably would have appeared earlier in the day, determined to make sure the monk’s festive spirit was quashed before the festivities had even begun. For all he knew Rai and Kim were now canoodling in one of their sleeping stalls, oblivious to any potential Heylin troubles taking place.

Much to his combined joy and panic, Omi settled his empty mug on the floor and snuggled further into Clay's arms. At this movement, a sudden panic overcame the Texan and he jerked his arms away before blurting out, "W-Why don't we have a walk ‘round the temple? See where Rai and Kim wondered off to?"

Omi pondered for a moment, annoyed at having just rested himself only to be shifted unceremoniously, but nodded in agreement and bounced up from the floor, having his winter boots on within seconds, his usual alertness returning in a flash. He kept the blanket firmly wrapped around his shoulders though, much to Clay's amusement due to how it smothered him. Once Clay grabbed his hat they headed off down past the kitchen on their search. Clay inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

____

_Where the hell did I put that damn mistletoe?!_

Rai was growing frustrated. He was sure he'd put it above the doorframe that overlooked the river, but for whatever reason it had disappeared. Had it been blown away by the wind? He knew he should have put more tape over it… Or had some bird yanked it out the wood and flown away with it? Or worse, had Kimiko spotted it earlier and yanked it down, already figuring out his plan? Whatever it was it had put a damper on his decidedly festive mood.

"Is everything alright Rai? The conversation can't be that bad that the ceiling is now your point of interest?"

Snapping back to reality, he pretended to examine the rest of the doorframe. "Huh? Uh, no, no, I'm just admiring the temple architecture, that's all… uh, what were you saying again about Christmas in Tokyo?" He leaned one arm on the doorframe in an attempt to be casual. She raised an eyebrow, unamused, and continued as she walked away.

"I was _saying_ that the mall near my dad's building is the _best_ place to shop at Christmas. Every year they have a different display, like this one time…"

Rai breathed a sigh (not of relief, just a sigh), and followed her, skulking.

_Merda._

____

"聖誕快樂. Sheng, dan, kuai, le."

"Shuhng, dahn, kwaiy, luh. Is that right?"

"Almost. Remember to pronounce 'sheng' with a fourth tone, otherwise people might think you're saying, 'Happy laying eggs!'"

The turned the corner passed the corridor with the bedroom stalls while Omi taught Clay some Christmas centred Chinese phrases, taking much amusement at his Texan accent. Both now had a thin layer of snow settled on their shoulders and hats after having run outside to other buildings in their search. A dotted trail of snow fell behind them as they journeyed along. They were just approaching the door to the older monks’ quarters when one happened to be leaving.

"Ah, Master Chen! You haven’t seen Raimundo and Kimiko, per chance?" Omi queried.

Chen was a jumpy fellow, and was likewise startled to see the two roaming around this late in the evening, but he greeted them nonetheless with his usual politeness.

"It happens that I have young one. I think I saw them earlier wondering around just up ahead and to the left, at the eastern gate looking out to the river. Where they headed off to, I could not tell you," he said, the remorse clear in his voice.

Omi and Clay looked at each other, both motioning their heads in understanding.

"Many thanks Master Chen, and have a pleasant evening," Omi said, bowing slightly with his hands together. Clay followed Omi's lead and did the same, almost forgetting his manners. Just before Master Chen slipped away, Omi tugged on his sleeve, pointing to Chen with a gesture that seemed to say, ‘ _Go on, give it a shot!’_ so Clay gave it a shot.

"聖誕快樂,陳法師!"

Chen turned and responded with a toothy smile that was somehow endearing, and complimented Clay’s pronunciation before heading on his way.

Clay turned back around and found Omi smiling at him again, his cheeks pink and glowing. Clay returned the smile gladly.

"It really means a lot that you have put so much effort into learning my native language Clay," Omi said, looking up longingly at him as they continued on their way.

"Well, I wasn't really tryin' much when we first started learning it at the temple. Recently I’ve felt I kinda' wanted to put a lil’ bit more effort into it."

"Any particular reason?"

He was quiet, contemplating whether to admit the reason why. The reason why was standing right next to him. Just as he was choking on his answer, a slight rush of cold air swept the hall, and they realised they had arrived at the gate overlooking the river. Omi wrapped himself a bit further into his blanket while Clay shoved his hands further into his pockets, forgetting the question entirely. They walked out onto the landing together.

The river was completely frozen over. The usual sound of it rushing past was absent entirely, and for once the valley was silent, except for the flurry of snow carried along by the wind, which had begun to soften. The whole scene would have been almost haunting, had one been alone, except it was the two of them standing look out at the scene. It was surreal and peaceful. Clay’s mother might have said it was romantic.

“I love when it snows at the temple.”

Clay turned his gaze down to Omi, who was looking out almost glazy-eyed at the scene in front of him.

He inserted his hands into his pockets. “Winter in Texas ain’t nothing like it is here. Much as a I miss Ma and Pa, and Jessie and Patrick, I don’t think I’d give nuthin’ to miss this.”

“I am very glad to hear that.”

Omi had returned Clay’s gaze.

“I could look at this for hours.”

“At… at the snow?”

Omi had caught him off guard, again,. Only this time, it would appear he was aware of it.

A small chirping had broken the silence before it grew too awkward. Their heads followed the noise and found a tiny bird with a reddish plume sitting atop the doorframe above them. It was startled at their sudden movement clearly, and hurriedly flew off, but not before dropping whatever was clamped between its beak out of fright. Clay followed the green item as it fell. Suffering from his unusual lack of hand-eye coordination, he caught the item on his second swipe of his right hand, and fumbling for a proper hold on it, held it aloft for the two to gawk at. This moment in time would eventually come to question his belief in a higher power. Or at least a mischievous, sick one.

"Mistletoe…”

The stood silently. Usually, Omi couldn't keep his mouth shut, and usually, Clay might have some southern quip to lighten the tension. Neither was uttering a word. Omi began fiddling with the fabric his fingers clung to.

"Raimundo told me… people usually kiss under mistletoe."

Clay looked down again, avoiding Omi's gaze. He noticed he still held the mistletoe aloft, and quickly hid it in his fist.

"Yeah… it's… it's a real nice tradition…"

As he moved his hand to place the plant on the wooden gate surrounding the outside of the building, Omi’s hand stopped him.

“Wait, shouldn’t we… well…”

Clay blinked. And gulped.

“You… You wanna’?” He questioned.

Omi’s eyes dropped to the floor, but not before Clay had seen his skin turn the reddest colour it had been all evening. His expression, however, appeared to sadden.

"I… I have never been kissed."

Clay blinked twice, and shook his head before answering, his brow furrowing. The mistletoe remained tightly clenched in his hand as he attempted to employ the sensitivity he was famous for, and failed.

"Ya' ain't never been kissed?" his breath hitched in his throat and his tone became accidently mocking.

Omi's blush deepened, his expression moving from a mix of embarrassment and shame to outright annoyance.

"I live in a monastery with 20 celibate monks Clay, why do you think it has never happened?"

Clay cringed at himself. "I'm sorry Omi, really, I didn’t mean nuthin’ by it… But, your first kiss should be special, you don’t want me taking that moment away from you."

"What do you mean by that?"

Omi was moving closer, and Clay further away.

"What is so bad about you?"

Clays’ cringing at himself intensified, not wanting to delve too deep into those waters. Not wanting to delve at all in fact.

"You really want me to be your first?"

Omi kept his eyes on Clay’s own, and managed the smallest of nods.

There was a wooden stool standing just inside the doorframe. He held the mistletoe to the doorframe as Omi helped him freeze it, and then wiped the snow off himself and Omi before he brought over the stool and sat down, bring them to the same height. Omi stood staring, gripping the blanket ever tighter. Clay looked at Omi. For what he was waiting for he wasn’t sure. Was he expecting Omi to jump on him? This had to be the most awkward occurrence they’d had since meeting each other, a time where the cultural barrier was the cause of far too many an issue.

Clay tidied himself up. His heartbeat had apparently left of its own accord.

"You ready?"

Omi placed his hands around Clay's shoulders, his short stature further emphasized but the cowboy’s sheer bulk. He nodded, more eagerly this time. Clay braced himself, and placed his hands carefully on Omi’s waist, pulling him closer in.

Their lips touched.

Clay had only kissed three times in his life, although he might have exaggerated the number on occasion. His first kiss was his first love, Molly-Mae, a friend of the family, while running around the outskirts of the farm together. The girl he took to his high school dance, Daisy, was his second, a shy but sweet girl who he had ironically been too shy to ask himself. And his third was Richard. Richard he had met on vacation in the south of England, a level of confidence that Clay envied to this day, and a smile that could shake his knees like a tremor. Clay only ever did things like this when there was a spark. In this moment with the monk who he had known for less than a year, he felt a whole fireworks show.

Even if he’d been a poet, he couldn’t have given this moment the lyrical description it deserved.

It wasn't initially a deep kiss. His lips were soft like Daisys’, unsure and timid, but nonetheless curious. The way in which he held his arms around his shoulders felt like Molly-Mae, his hands sliding further around, exploring the fur around his jacket collar. The contented way he leaned further into his arms as the kiss went on, eager and passionate, was Richard all over again. Clay’s hands continued to make their way around Omi’s waist, pulling him closer and up, lifting him onto his tiptoes. The bliss was suddenly and unfortunately intruded upon by Clay’s conscious.

They broke apart, staring at each other and catching their breath. The snow had grown light and the valley was somehow quieter, and the cold no longer phased either of them. Clay wondered how suddenly and unexpectedly things had changed. Well, he didn’t wonder, he knew, as unmindful as he was to most things. Whatever had occurred between in the moments before, Rai, Kim, and Master Feng would certainly have some words.

“That… that was…” Clay could hardly get a word out. Omi clearly felt no need to, and was evidently holding back the biggest smile under the tidal wave of bliss that had took him.

In their haze, they couldn’t hear the whistling coming from down the corridor, which sounded like some Christmas jingle, too out of it to recognise what it was regardless. In fact, they were so out of it that they were too slow to exit their embrace before Dojo came sliding down the hall, a mug of cocoa in his hand.

Dojo appeared in the doorway, turning his head, and his whistling stopped as he laid eyes on the whole scene. His eyes darted between the two. Clay stared back, his expression blank, still not quite caught up with events. Cartoon hearts had started to float up from Omi’s chest.

Backing up like a slithering car, Dojo kept his gaze straight ahead of him as he declared (at an unreasonable volume), “I didn’t see anything! I didn’t. See. Anything…,” and headed on his merry way, his whistling resuming further down the hall.

Clay breathed out, and turned his head back to Omi who was beginning to snap back to reality. Omi noticed his arms still stuck around Clay’s shoulders, and removed them gingerly. Clay rubbed the back of his neck, his gaze now burning a hole in the floor.

“So… h-how was… how was your first kiss then?”

Omi breathed in, regaining his composure, his shoulders rising as he kept his eyes averted.

“It… was wonderful, Clay…,” Omi managed to get out, exhaling deeply, still slightly exasperated as he sorted his blanket. Clay’s hand continued rubbing the back of his neck gently as he looked up, unsure what to say next. Omi backed away slightly, his shyness returning.

“Thank you. Very much.”

Omi had regained his composure once Clay set his eyes on him again. He smiled.

_That smile. He had caused that smile. Clay, the hick._

Gaining his confidence and his southern charm back, the Texan tipped his hat.

“My pleasure.”

____________

They shortly returned to the sitting room. Having completely forgotten about their search for Raimundo and Kimiko, they were surprised to find the two sitting rather close to each other in front of the fire, their mugs empty of cocoa. The gave each other a look before they walked further into the room enough to be noticed. Kimiko turned at the sound of their footsteps, smiling when she saw them.

“Nice to see you to two again, where’d you both run off to?”

Clay replied as he sat down, “Was just about to ask you the same question. We went lookin’ for you two.”

Kimiko blushed, her gaze shifting back and forth between Clay and Raimundo, whose face was also reddening. “Oh, well, we just needed some fresh air as all. Oh! And I forgot my PDA was under my desk. Needed to check for messages…” She removed the device from her pocket and showed them, producing a suspicious smile along with it. Neither Clay or Omi pestered them about any other details. Raimundo finally piped up.

“Well? Do anything interesting on your walk?”

Clay tensed, as did Omi, but they quickly looked at each other knowingly before raising their eyebrows, and replying in unison, “Nah,” with a shake of their heads.

The four sat silently for a time, drinking cocoa and simply enjoying the ray of warmth the fire brought them. Kim slowly snuggled closer to Rai, as did Omi to Clay. At this moment in time, there was no awkwardness, or tension, or shame. There were just people enjoying each other.

“Well, has your first Christmas been a good one Omi?” Kimiko queried, her head rested on Rai’s shoulder.

Clay’s arm was round Omi, and Omi’s head was on Clays’ chest. He closed his eyes, as if reimaging the moment.

“More than adequate, Kimiko. Thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Holy shit you read this the whole way through  
> I hope anyway...
> 
> This is my first ever completed fanfiction, so any critiques, compliments or whatever you'd like to bring to the table are very much welcome. Xiaolin Showdown seems to have crept back into my life for some reason, and I'm glad it did, and I've never seen anybody ship Clay and Omi so I had to get in there first because gay height differences end me.
> 
> Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas, Happy New year, etc. and thanks again for reading!


End file.
